The Band
by Sovereign64
Summary: High School AU. Desperate in finding an ECA, Yuri Lowell joins the school's music club, also to find out that he's the club's only male member. Can a person who has no experience in music help Estelle, Rita Mordio and Judith fulfill their dreams in playing music and help their school win the annual school music competition? Yuri X Estelle, Judith X OC
1. The First Day of School

**Sovereign64: My first story of 2014! This is a story idea which I actually shelved it for a few years because I was waiting for the right category to post this story under. Eventually, I chose Tales of Vesperia which is one of my all-time favorite JRPGs. ^^ Not to mention I'm a huge Yuri Lowell fan and I always wanted to write a story that has him as the main character. XD Anyways, without further ado, here's _The Band_. Enjoy.**

* * *

**BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.**

Yuri groans as the alarm clock placed right next to his bed rang. He slowly lifts his arm up and then swings it down onto the alarm clock, stopping the ringing.

Yuri then rose up from his bed with his eyes half-closed and his long dark purple hair falling down to his waist level.

He pushes some hair strands away from his eyes and turns to his clock. When he sees the time, he lets out a yell and his eyes widen to the size of dinner plates.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH! I'M GOING TO BE LATE!"

_**The Band**_

_**Chapter 1: First Day of School**_

Yuri bursts out of his room, now dressed in his school uniform which consists of a long-sleeved dark blue jacket with a white buttoned shirt underneath it, a black belt with a silver buckle and dark green pants. He takes out his band and uses his other hand to grab his hair. He then wraps the band around his hair and it is now tied to a ponytail.

Yuri then straightens his jacket and sighs. "Yuri Lowell, this is your first day back to high school and you mustn't be late!"

He walks down the staircase and enters the dining room to his left. Inside the room was a woman with long brown hair, dressed with an apron and washing her frying pan at the sink.

"Hey mom! Why didn't you wake me up?!" Yuri yelled as he walks over to the table and sees pancakes placed on it. "Ooohh, pancakes."

"You're 16 years old now Yuri. You should learn to wake up by yourself." His mother replied as she turns her head to her son. She then narrows her eyes angrily when she sees Yuri picking up a pancake with his hand. "Hey! You haven't even wash your hands!"

"Do I look like I got time to wash my hands?" Yuri said, looking up at his mother. He then folds the pancakes and eats it.

"Did you remember to take everything with you?" His mother asked as she turns off the tap.

"Yes mom." Yuri smiled and he walks over to her. "I love you mom."

"Love you too." His mother nods her head before Yuri plants a kiss on her forehead.

"Goodbye." Yuri waves goodbye to his mother as he walks out of the dining room.

"Bye." His mother said as she waves back at him. She smiles as she watches her son walks over to the door. _'Honey…you should see how much our son has grown.'_

Just as Yuri places his hand on the doorknob, he stopped. Then he turns around and runs up the staircase.

"I FORGOT MY SCHOOL BAG!" He shouted.

His mother groans as she wakes her head, and then she simply laughed.

* * *

Meanwhile, the students walk into Vesperia High School, ready to start their first day of a new term in school after the end of their summer break.

At the entrance, Flynn Scifo, a boy with messy blonde hair, is standing outside the school waiting for Yuri. He adjusts his glasses before looking down at his watch. Like Yuri, he's dressed in a dark blue jacket which is buttoned up. But he also wears a red tie underneath it and wears a white band around his right upper arm to indicate he's a member of the school committee.

"Flynn!"

Flynn turns his head to the right and sees Yuri running over to him with a smirk on his face. Yuri stops in front of Flynn who said to him, "Yuri, you're two minutes late."

Yuri catches his breath for a moment before looking up at Flynn. "Come on Flynn, two minutes ain't that bad."

"A good student must always be punctual Yuri. You know that." Flynn said as he places his hands on his hips.

"Thank you Mr. Scifo, I'll remember to put that in my memoirs." Yuri rolls his eyes. Flynn then chuckles and gestures him to go inside the school.

"Come on, let's go." He said as he and Yuri turn and walk their way to school.

As Yuri stuffs his free left hand into his pocket, Flynn turns to him and asked, "So Yuri, have you decided which ECA you want to join after your last one disbanded?"

Yuri shrugged. "Sorry Flynn, still can't decide."

Flynn sighs. "Three months of summer break and you still couldn't decide which ECA you want to join."

"I'm sorry Flynn but there's really no other ECA I could think of which tops Judo." Yuri said.

"Yuri, you need to make your final decision before the end of the first week of school. Otherwise, you won't get extra points for your end-of-the-year school report."

"Don't worry Flynn, I'll think of something."

"Will you?"

Yuri turns to Flynn and smirks. "I always will, don't I?"

**END OF CHAPTER**

**Sovereign: Hope you guys enjoy that and please, read and review!**


	2. Disbandment

_**Chapter 2: Disbandment**_

_**4 hours later…**_

The bell rang throughout the entire school and all the students walk out of their classrooms to have their recess.

Yuri yawns and stretches his arms as he walks out of the classroom. He cracks his knuckles as Flynn walks over to him from behind.

"Good luck Yuri. I'm off to report to the class president." Flynn said, patting Yuri's back.

"Okay. See ya." Yuri said.

"And Yuri, this is a new school year. I hope you don't get into trouble again like last year."

Yuri looks annoyed as he folds his arms. "Really Flynn? Still couldn't get over that?" He then waves goodbye to Flynn as he walks off.

Flynn sighs as he watches Yuri leave in concern. _'Of course I am. I'm your friend.'_

* * *

Yuri walks outside of the school where all the members of each respective club have set up booths, encouraging freshman students to join their clubs. Some are shouting at the students to come to their booths, some are giving brochures and some are dressed as their respective club mascots.

As Yuri walks through the booths, several club members suddenly rush up to him and extend their brochures to him.

"Please join us! Please join us! Please join us! Please join us!"

When the club members leave, Yuri finds himself now holding a huge pile of brochures and he looks very dumbfounded.

"Wh-what just happened?" He said puzzled.

* * *

Meanwhile, two girls entered a room at the other side of the school.

"Turn on the lights Rita! I can't see a thing." One of the girls who has shoulder-length pink hair said.

"Okay, hang on." The other girl with short brown hair said as she goes over to the switch. She turns on the lights, revealing a huge deserted room. There was a couch placed next to the wall and there's a whiteboard at the front of the room.

The pink-haired girl gasped and widens her eyes upon seeing the room. A huge smile appears on her face and she clasps her hands together.

"So this is the music club room! Isn't this fascinating Rita?" The pink-haired girl asked.

"Yup. Sure is Estelle." The brown-haired girl now known as Rita deadpanned as she folds her arms. Rita is dressed in a white sailor fuku uniform with a red necktie, dark blue skirt, black socks and black shoes. She also wears a red headband over her head.

The pink-haired girl now known as Estelle turns to Rita and places her hands on her hips. She is dressed in a long-sleeved tan buttoned sweater with her white uniform and red tie underneath it, dark red skirt, dark blue socks and black shoes.

"Come on Rita!" Estelle smiles as she pumps her left fist into the air. "Let us find the club's president and join this club!"

"Estelle, do you really want to join this club that badly?" Rita asked. Estelle nods her head. Rita sighs. "Fine, you join. But I'm not interested."

"WHAT?!" Estelle cried in despair.

"Sorry Estelle, I already told you." Rita turns around and tries to leave the room. "I'm joining the literature club!"

Suddenly, Estelle stops Rita by grabbing her arm.

"What now?" Rita said, rolling her eyes in frustration.

"No Rita! I say we join together!" Estelle said.

Rita turns to Estelle and yelled, "I told you I'm not joining!"

"Hey girls, what are you doing here?"

Estelle and Rita turn their heads to the front and see a 17-year old boy with messy black hair. He wears the same outfit and same armband as Flynn.

Estelle gasps. She lets go of Rita and passes by her, making her spin around dizzily. She goes over to the boy and stops in front of him. She places her hands behind her back and smiled. "Hmm, judging by that school armband. You must be the school president."

"Yes I am." The school president smiles as he adjusts his glasses. "My name is Darren Leong, the president of the school committee. You're inside the music club room.

"So um, Mr. President, do you know who the music club president is and where can we see him?" Estelle asked.

Darren sighed. "Well…" He places his hand on the back of his neck. "The thing is, the music club has disbanded."

Estelle immediately drops her jaw and widens her eyes in shock. "What?!"

"I'm afraid so. You see, last year's music club was all made up of senior students and sadly, they couldn't find any new students to join the club before they graduate. So now, they are no members at all." Darren said. "And if this year, nobody wants to join, the school would have to shut it down."

"Well, what do you know?" Rita said smiling as she walks pass Estelle and Darren and leaves the room. "Since this club is no longer operating, I guess I can go to the lit-HEY!" Rita suddenly gets grabbed by the arm again by Estelle.

"Mr. President! If nobody is in the club," A huge smile appears on Estelle's face. "Can I assign myself as the new club president?"

"Well, that depends." Darren said. "If you can find three other members, the school can allow the club to stay."

"ALRIGHT!" Estelle shouted happily as she pumps her left fist into the air.

"Oh joy…" Rita said sarcastically.

"If you want to apply for presidency, you can meet me at the school committee room after school hours and I'll give you the application form." Darren said smiling.

"Great!" Estelle nods back.

"Good, see you later." Darren then turns around and leaves.

"Come on Rita!" Estelle said, turning to Rita. "Let us find two more people to join the club!"

"Wait two?" Rita said, turning to her. "Don't tell me…" Estelle nods her head. Rita gasps as her eyes slowly widen and her jaw drops in horror. She then lets out a scream of despair. "NOOOOOO!"

'_Why did I become her friend in the first place?'_

**END OF CHAPTER**


	3. Club Formation

**Sovereign: Here's the next chapter everyone! Enjoy!**

_**Chapter 3: Club Formation**_

After school is over, all the students leave their classrooms and head their way home. A few remain behind, one of them being Yuri. He sat at his desk, looking through the brochures he received this afternoon.

Flynn goes over to him. "Any luck?" Flynn asked.

Yuri sighs as he puts down the brochures on his desk. "I wish." He said. "Like seriously? Archery? Accuracy is not my strength. Chess team? No thanks. Glee club? You know the answer to that."

Flynn takes his own chair and sits next to Yuri. "Yuri, I know sometimes you feel stressed. But in the end, you always find a way to push through and you still find time to help your mother. I respect that."

"Heh, thanks." Yuri said, chuckling a bit.

"So I'm sure you'll eventually find a club that suits you too. So don't give up." Flynn smiled.

"So what about you Flynn?" Yuri said, turning to him. "Anything going on with the student committee?"

"Nothing much." Flynn shrugged. "Although the school president said that he had a meeting with a student who wants to revive the school's music club."

* * *

At the student committee room, Darren sits at the front of the table while sitting on right next to him are Estelle and Rita. When Estelle finishes filling up the application form, she puts down her pen and hands it to Darren.

"Here you go!" Estelle said to him smiling. Rita sits next to her with her arms folded and looking peeved.

"Thank you." Darren said as he takes the form. "So have you found three other people to join the club?"

"Not yet." Estelle shakes her head. "But I already found one!" She then takes Rita's arm. Rita gasps and widens her eyes as Estelle raises her arm.

"Alright." Darren nods his head. "You'll need to find two more people within one week or your form won't be finalized."

Estelle then releases Rita's arm and she gives a stern look and a salute to Darren. "Understood, Mr. President!"

* * *

_The next day…_

After school hours have passed, Estelle and Rita reenter the music club room. Estelle sighed happily as she sits down on the room's sofa.

"So what now?" Rita said, looking annoyed as she leans against the wall.

"Now we shall wait for anyone to come in to our club!" Estelle said.

Rita sighed and turns to Estelle. "Estelle, there are two things I have to say to you. One, I don't wish to join your club. And two, you have no idea how to attract people into the club do you? You need to post brochures or set up a stand at the school grounds!"

"Hello?"

Estelle gasps and she and Rita turn their heads to the doorway. There stood a 17-year old girl with blue hair, tied to a bun and wears a white sailor fuku, red necktie, dark blue skirt, black stockings and black shoes.

"Oh my gosh!" Estelle cried as she stood up and spreads out her arms. "We have an applicant! And I didn't even need to take your advice, Rita!" Rita rolls her eyes.

Estelle rushes over to the girl. She then takes her hand and shakes it and the girl just stared in confusion.

"I'm Estellise Sidos Heurassein! I'm the president of the school music club! Have you come to join us?" Estelle asked.

"Umm…" The girl spoke.

"Please! We really need members in my club! Will you please join us?!" Estelle asked, her face nearing her.

The girl turns her head away. "Actually, I was looking for the computer club." She uttered.

This immediately turn Estelle's wide smile into a deep frown. "Awwww…" Estelle cried.

Rita sighs and gets off the wall. "See Estelle, nobody wishes to join the music club." She then walks over to the doorway, wanting to leave. "So you should just forget it."

"Rita…"

Rita stops when she heard the sorrow in Estelle's voice. She and the girl turn to Estelle who now has huge sad puppy eyes on her face. Her body is shaking and she is in the verge of tears.

"Didn't you once say that playing music was your dream?" Estelle said to Rita hoarsely. "Haven't you forgotten that moment? We once went to a rock concert while thousands of people around us cheering. Then as you watched the band performed, you stared at them with your eyes wide…and you uttered the words…_'I wish to play music.'_ You then turn to me and said that one day, we will form a band together and we both made that promise together! And now, we can help turn our dream into a reality!"

"That's not how it happened…" Rita said in annoyance as she places her right hand on the side of her hip.

Estelle's jaw dropped and her sad eyes turn back to normal. _'She knew I was lying!'_

"We were watching The Who playing live on television. You stared at the television as if your eyes were glued. Then you were the one who uttered the words _'I wish to play music'_, not me." Rita said.

Estelle then goes over to the corner of the room and kneels down in sorrow. Rita groans. "There she goes…" She uttered.

The girl then giggles and Estelle and Rta turn to her. "Alright. Miss President, if you want me to join your club, I will gladly do so, only because you and your friend are so much fun." The girl smiled.

Estelle gasped and a huge smile appears on her face. She rushes over to the girl and shakes her hand again. "Thank you! Thank you so much! By the way, I don't know your name yet."

"Judith." The girl introduced herself.

"Nice to meet you Judith!" Estelle said. "So what instrument can you play?"

"I can play the bass guitar in my free time." Judith replied.

"Cool!" Estelle said. She turns to Rita. "What about you Rita? What instrument can you play?"

"Well…" Rita said, turning her face to Estelle and Judith. She lets out a sigh and said, "Well, I can try playing the drums."

"Awesome!" Estelle said. Then she widens her eyes, realizing something. "Wait, does that mean…"

Rita looks up at Estelle and smiled. "Well since you are persistent, I guess I have no choice don't I? Especially since I'm your closest friend. I will join the music club."

"THANK YOU SO MUCH!" Estelle then goes over to Rita and gives her a tight embrace. Rita gasps for air as Estelle tightens her embrace.

"You're…wel…come…" Rita managed to say. Estelle then releases Rita and pumps her fists in the air.

"As for me, I'll be the vocalist of the band!" Estelle said.

"You can sing?" Judith asked Estelle.

Rita breathes heavily and said to Judith, "Estelle practices her singing a lot during her free time."

"That's nice." Judith nods her head.

Estelle then wraps her arms around Rita and Judith. She smiles at them and said, "Now all we need is a guitarist."

**END OF CHAPTER**

**Sovereign: I would like to thank _agarfinkel_ and _Koware ta_ for reviewing, _veesmaster_ and _Mr Game Virus_ for alerting and _The Legend of Zelda Fangirl_ for favoriting and alerting it. Stay tune for the next chapter and read and review!**


	4. Yuri Joins

**Sovereign: Sorry that the next chapter took longer than before but it's because I was ill for a few days and also because I was celebrating Chinese New Year with my family. But nevertheless, I'm back and so is this story. XD**

_**Chapter 4: Yuri joins**_

_**Four days later…**_

Yuri narrows his eyes grumpily as he stares at the school's notice board, looking at the brochures from many different clubs in the school. It's now Friday, the end of the first school week and he still couldn't find the right ECA for him. He closes his eyes and sighs.

'If I couldn't find the right club, I'll just randomly pick I guess, huh?' Yuri thought.

He then covers his eyes with his left hand and lifts up his right index finger. He twirls his right arm for a while and then presses the board with his finger. Yuri then removes his left hand and looks at the brochure on the board which he has pointed.

'_School Music Club'_

Yuri stares at the brochure for a moment, then he smirks and shrugs.

"Why not?"

* * *

Later during recess, Darren walks up the stairs leading to the school music room. In his left hand is a clipboard with Yuri's application form on it.

When he now finds himself standing in front of the room door, he uses his right hand and knocks on it.

Then, Judith pulls open the door to greet him. "Hello?" She asked.

Darren widens his eyes and gasped as he sees Judith. Judith smiles at him. "Hello Mr. President, what are you here for?"

Darren didn't reply and just stared out dazedly at Judith. Judith arches an eyebrow in confusion and asked, "Mr. President?"

"Yes?" Darren murmured.

Judith then looks down and sees the clipboard in his hand. "Oh! A club admission!"

"What?" Darren finally snaps out of his thoughts and looks down at the clipboard in his hand. "Oh yes!" He turns back to Judith and extends the clipboard to her. "A student wishes to join your club!"

"That's great! Thank you!" Judith smiled at Darren one more time before taking the application form from his clipboard and closes the door in front of him.

A wide smile then appears on Darren's face and he sighed blissfully. _'Is this…love at first sight?'_

* * *

Meanwhile, Estelle and Rita are at the table, eating their meals from their lunchboxes. Judith walks over to them and places the application form on the table.

"Estelle! Rita! A student wishes to join our club!" Judith said.

Estelle and Rita put down their chopsticks and look down at the application form.

"Yuri Lowell…" Rita said.

A smile appears on Estelle's face and said, "Awesome! Another girl is joining our club!"

"Ummm girl?" Rita looks up at Estelle. "How do you know it's a girl?"

Estelle looks up at Rita and asked, "Isn't Yuri a feminine name?"

"Well, not really-" Rita tries to say something but Judith interrupted.

"So if another girl is joining the club, does that mean we'll have an all-girls band?" Judith asked.

"Yes! Of course!" Estelle smiles and nods her head. "That's so fun! This club isn't just a group dedicated to music but also a fun-loving girls' club!"

"Estelle, I don't think we should jump any conclusion that-" Rita said.

"This person isn't joining our club just yet?" Estelle finished for her. "Don't be ridiculous Rita. If she submits her name to us, she's willingly joining this club and I sure can't wait to meet her!"

Rita groans and closes her eyes. _'I was going to say that we shouldn't jump to conclude that this Yuri Lowell's a girl.'_

* * *

Later that afternoon, Yuri and Flynn both leave their classroom and walk down the corridor after the school bell rang.

"So, you're joining the music club?" Flynn asked Yuri.

"Yes I am." Yuri said.

"Yuri, do you ever play music?"

"Well I remember when I was in elementary school; I know how to play the recorder. Then after I graduated…" Yuri shrugged. "I never touched another musical instrument."

"Well Yuri, I hope that whatever decision you make is the right thing." Flynn said.

Yuri sighed. "Yeah…I hope so."

* * *

The two parted ways. Flynn heads his way to the school committee room while Yuri goes to the school's music club. As he walks up the stairs, he thought about he's glad to have someone like Flynn.

After the death of his father, Yuri went through an emotional stress which causes his personality to change for a while. He became the high school's 'resident juvenile' for a while until one day, he encountered Flynn Scifo who was already a member of the student council at the time. During his detention, Flynn managed to reach out to Yuri and penetrated the icy shell in his heart. Since then, Yuri had his gratitude and became his friend ever since. Now he knows that every time if he had a problem, he would always have Flynn to count on.

Eventually, he arrived at the top of the stairs and arrived in front of the doorway to the school's music club.

Yuri takes a deep breath and sighed. "Well, this is it. Don't screw up your first impression." He said to himself.

Before he could knock on the door, a voice asked from behind, "What are you talking to yourself about?"

Yuri turns around and sees Estelle standing behind him. Yuri jumps a bit and backs away in surprise.

"Oh hey! I didn't see you!" Yuri said, his eyes widened.

Estelle laughed and said, "Sorry I scared you."

"Well yeah, you sorta." Yuri chuckled.

"So…are you one of the members of the school committee as well?" Estelle asked.

"Huh?" Yuri said, now looking confused.

"Did President Leong send you?"

"What? No, I am here to see the president of the school music club. This is the school music club, right?" Yuri asked while gesturing to the door of the school music club room.

"Yes it is." Estelle nods her head and smiled. "And I'm the president of the club! What's your name?"

"Oh that's nice. My name is Yuri Lowell." Yuri greeted. "Nice to meet you, Miss President." He smiles and extends his hand to her.

There was a moment of silence for a while before Estelle bursts out laughing. Yuri looks confused at this.

"Sorry but I do believe the Yuri Lowell who applied for membership to this club is a girl." Estelle points out.

"What?" Yuri cried out and droops his arms in shock and disbelief. "No! I really am Yuri Lowell and I am NOT a girl!"

There was yet another moment of silence as the two stared at each other. This time, Estelle widens her eyes in shock, her jaw drops and much to Yuri's surprise, lets out a hideously, blood-curling scream.

"WWWHHHHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT?!"

* * *

Later, Yuri sat on the sofa inside the school music club. He sat there, looking uncomfortable as Estelle, Rita and Judith stood in front of him with their backs facing him, having a discussion.

"Yuri is a man?!" Estelle whispered.

"See?! I told you Yuri can't be a girl! It's a unisex name!" Rita snapped at Estelle softly.

"Well, I actually don't have a problem if Yuri actually is a man." Judith shrugged.

Estelle sighed. "So much for an all-girls group."

"Umm hello?" The three girls turn to Yuri. "Am I in the club or not?"

"Weeeellll…." Estelle said, cupping her chin.

Rita sighed, turns to Estelle and whispered into her ear. "Listen, we'll just accept him anyways because after all, it's our final day to find a fourth member to finalize our club."

Judith also whispered into Estelle's other ear. "I have to agree Miss President. So what if we don't get an all-girls group? He looks talented to me."

Estelle nods her head. The three girls turn back to the front and Estelle asked Yuri, "So, Yuri Lowell, what instrument can you play?"

"Well, I can play the recorder." Yuri replied. "But that was a long time ago."

"Well then, what else?" Judith asked.

"Can you play the guitar?" Rita asked.

"Guitar?" Yuri said.

"Yes, our group does need a guitarist after all." Estelle said.

"Well…"

"Can you?" The three girls cried in unison while they all stare at Yuri with pleading eyes. Yuri doesn't know how to answer them. He could have said 'no' since that is the truth. He has never touched a guitar before. But as he looks into the girls' pleading eyes, they really look like they're in need of not only a guitarist but another member. He don't wish to break the girls' hearts in any way so Yuri chuckled nervously and replied to them.

"Ummm yes. I do." Yuri said.

"Really? Awesome!" The three girls said in unison.

Yuri sighed. _'That doesn't seem so-'_

"So what model is your guitar then?" Judith asked.

Yuri swifts his eyes to Judith. "Uhhh what?"

"Yeah, you're a guitarist right? You should know the model of your own guitar." Rita added.

"Uummmmm….." Yuri realized the girls have given him a question that he'll probably not answer correctly! He takes a deep breath and decides to randomly say a company he knows. "Yamaha?"

The three girls gasped. "Yamaha?" Estelle said. "Cool!"

Yuri sighed again. _'I dodge the bullet ag-'_

"What's the serial number?" Estelle asked. Yuri widens his eyes. Now the girls want to know the guitar's serial number?!

"Do you know?" Rita asked Yuri.

"Well…" Yuri scratches his head. "It's hard to remember…sorry…" He lamely hangs his head.

"Yeah, it's okay. People tend to forget their guitar serial numbers too." Judith said to Yuri.

"They do?" Yuri lifts up his head and blinked.

"Uh-huh." Estelle nods her head. "No big deal."

Yuri sighs in relief again. _'I dodge yet another-'_

"So I guess you shall just bring your guitar next week and we'll see what model it is then." Rita said.

Yuri gasped. Of course, why didn't he think of that? The girls still want him to show them that he has a guitar? He was such a fool!

"Show us what you can do for us next week Yuri." Judith smiled, placing her hands behind her back.

"We'll be waiting!" Estelle said, pumping her fists.

"Okay fine! I admit!" Yuri yelled as he stood up.

"Huh?" The three girls said in confusion.

Yuri sighed sadly and sits back down. He looks up at them. "Alright, I admit. I never played a guitar before. I don't have my own guitar. I'm sorry. I just came to your club because I was desperate in looking for an ECA of my own after my previous club, Judo, was disbanded last school year. I never touched another musical instrument in a long time and I don't have a lot of experience in music. I'm sorry for disappointing all of you." He slowly gets up from the sofa. "I guess I'll just make my leave."

"Wait!" The three girls cried to Yuri in unison while waving their hands. Yuri sits back down on the sofa and widens his eyes.

"Look…Yuri. It's okay. You don't have to apologize." Rita said as she and the other girls lower their heads.

"But…It's just that we are desperately looking for a fourth person to join our club." Estelle added in sorrow.

"If not, this club will shut down…" Judith said sadly.

"But still, at least you have the courage to admit that you don't have a lot of music experience. You don't have to join this club if you don't want to." Estelle said to Yuri. Yuri noticed the sadness in all three girls' eyes. He felt bad for lying to them earlier and also felt sorry that they couldn't find a fourth member to prevent their club from closing.

Yuri closes his eyes and thought to himself, _'C'mon Yuri. Be a good man and help someone here.'_

He opens his eyes and looks up at the girls. "Hey ummm…" The girls look up at him, their eyes widen. "I may not have a lot of musical experience but…" A smirk appears on his face. "If you girls are willing to teach me how to play a guitar, I'll join your club and keep it open."

There was silence in the room for a moment. Then Yuri notices smiles slowly appearing on the girls' faces.

"ALRIGHT!" The three girls jump and cheered. Rita and Judith go over to Yuri and pick him up from the sofa by his hands. Yuri stands up on both feet and Rita and Judith shake his hands.

"Thank you very much Yuri!" Rita said to him.

"And of course, we will teach you how to play a guitar. Well, just me teaching you anyway since I'm the band's bassist but still, I will teach you!" Judith said.

Rita and Judith then release Yuri's hands as Estelle walks over to him. She smiles at him and extends her hand.

"Welcome to the club, Yuri Lowell. And thank you." Estelle said.

Yuri smiles back at Estelle and grabs her hand. "You're welcome."

**END OF CHAPTER**


	5. Getting a Guitar Part 1

**Sovereign: How long has it been since I update this story? Eleven days? I guess it's not that long. XD I would like to thank Tracy247, Guest, agarfinkel and AquaBluey for reviewing the last chapter! Thanks guys!**

_**Chapter 5: Getting a Guitar Part 1**_

Later that night, Yuri takes his money jar out from the bottom of his closet. After closing his closet, he sits down on his bed and opens the cover of the jar. He pours out all of the money onto his bed. Then, he starts counting the amount of money which he has saved for a period of time.

He has finally gotten an ECA but now he has to overcome his next obstacle, buying his own guitar after agreeing with Estelle that he will be the band's guitarist.

Just then, there is a knock on the door.

"Mom, is that you?" Yuri called, turning to the door.

"Yes. Can I come in?" Yuri's mother said from the other side of the door.

"Sure." Yuri said. His mother then opens the door and walks into her son's room.

"Yuri?" His mother said, looking puzzled as she sees Yuri sitting on his bed with his money placed all over the covers. "What's going on?"

"Mom, I gotten myself a school ECA." Yuri replied to her.

"Really? That's great! What is it?" His mother asked.

"School band. I've been assigned by the club president to be the band's guitarist." Yuri said.

"Sounds wonderful!" A smile appears on his mother's face.

"Yeah. But the thing is…" Yuri paused for a moment and sighed. "Now I need money to buy my own guitar. Probably need like…five hundred dollars." He looks down on the coins and dollar notes laid on his bed. "And I don't think all this money here adds up to even three hundred."

Yuri's mother sighs for a moment and folds her arms. There was an awkward silence between the two for a moment before his mother spoke up, "Wait here."

Yuri turns his head and watches his mother leaves the room. A few minutes later, his mother returns into the room with a cheque her hand. She extends her hand and Yuri looks down at the cheque. He widens his eyes and sees what was written on it.

'_Five hundred dollars'_

Yuri looks up at his mother. "Mom, I-"

Yuri's mother shook her head, silencing her son. She smiles at him. "It doesn't matter. You need this money more than I do. Yuri…whatever you want to do in your life, I will support you. Because I am your mother."

Yuri stares at his mother in silence for a moment before a small smirk appears on his face. He takes the cheque and nods his head. "Thank you mom."

Yuri's mother chuckled. "Good luck with your ECA! Before winter break, I hope to see you become a talented musician and wish I could see you perform with your fellow band members."

"Sure." Yuri said, tilting his head. "I promise to fulfill your wish."

* * *

On Monday, after school hours, Yuri heads to the music room. Upon entering, he sees Estelle, Rita and Judith trying to assemble Rita's drum set. They have finished setting up with the bass drum. Rita is setting up two of the cymbals while Estelle and Judith are having trouble setting up the tom-tom and snare drums.

Rita turns her head to the two and sees Estelle having trouble setting up the stands for the tom-tom drums while Judith is about to place the snare drum on the left side of the bass drum.

"No! Judith! The snare drum goes on the right side!" Rita cried.

"Sorry." Judith said apologetically.

"Hey um, mind if I help?" Yuri asked, standing at the doorway.

Rita turns to Yuri and said, "Oh sure. Help me set up the ride and splash cymbals?"

Yuri goes over to the three and said to Rita, "Ride and splash? Huh. I didn't know cymbals have different names too."

"Yes they do. They may play the same but the size and rhythmic pattern helps them differentiate from each other." Rita said while placing down the china cymbal.

"You know, for a girl who initially doesn't want to join the music club, you sure do know your stuff about drums." Estelle pointed out.

"Yeah." Rita said. "I actually do have a brother who plays drums. One day, he actually introduces me how he plays them and sets them up but…"

"But what?" Yuri asked, setting up the stand for the ride cymbal.

Rita turns to the others and replied, "I was reading a book while he was telling me all of this. But I still understand all the tips he had given me."

"So you can listen to what your brother is saying to you and read a book at the same time?" Judith asked after she placed the snare drum at the right position.

"Yup." Rita nods her head.

Yuri chuckled as he places the ride cymbal down on the floor. "Maybe next time you can still study while listening to the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy on DVD."

"Haha, very funny." Rita rolls her eyes.

"So where did you get this drum set anyway?" Estelle asked as she finally set up the stands for the tom-tom drums.

"My brother, of course. He has tons of them back at home and he allowed me to borrow one of his. You should see his collection some time." Rita said, smiling a bit.

The four spend five more minutes setting up the drum. Once everything is done, the four back away and look at the drum set.

"There it is." Rita smirks as she places her hands on the sides of her hip. "Isn't it a beauty?"

"Sure is." Estelle replied.

Yuri turns to Rita, Estelle and Judith. "So girls, I have some good news. My mother has given me money to help get myself my own guitar."

"That's great!" Judith said as she and the other girls turn to Yuri.

"Awesome." Rita nods her head.

"But the thing is…I don't know much about guitar models and I have no idea which one suits for me the most." Yuri shrugs.

"Well…" Estelle places her hands behind her back and leans towards Yuri. "I guess you know what that means…"

Yuri on the other hand widens his eyes as he stares at Estelle who now has a wide grin on her face.

* * *

"Flynn! You have to come along with me to the mall after school today!" Yuri yelled at his friend as he slams his hands onto Flynn's desk.

Flynn stares at Yuri in surprise and blinks his eyes. He adjusts his glasses and said to Yuri, "What for?"

Yuri sighs and calms down. "Me and the girls are going to the shopping mall later to find a guitar for me. But the thing is…" He turns his head away and blushes. "I have never gone out with girls before."

Flynn chuckled. "Gee Yuri, for a tough guy like yourself; you sure are shy to go out with girls. Besides, it's not a date or anything. It's just a trip to the mall right?"

Yuri turns back to Flynn and frowns. "Look, will you come with me to the mall or not?"

Flynn sighs. "Alright, I'll go with you. Mainly because I would like to know more about the people whom you hang out with in the music club."

"Thanks Flynn." Yuri said in relief. "I hope the trip will be quick too. I just want my own guitar and that's it."

"Really? That's it? Not even going to have fun or get to know your fellow club members better?" Flynn asked. Yuri shakes his head in response. "You really aren't the social type, are you?"

Yuri places his right hand on the back of his head. "I guess I became like that since my father died."

"It's never too late to go back to your old self."

Yuri remained silent for a moment before saying, "I don't know Flynn. I don't know."

**END OF CHAPTER**

**Sovereign: Sorry if this chapter is kinda short but I'm saving the shopping trip for the next chapter. ;) Hope you enjoy reading. Stay tune for the next chapter and read and review!**


	6. Getting a Guitar Part 2

**Sovereign: I would like to thank Tracy247, AquaBluey, FanOfFanFiction820 and agarfinkel for reviewing. Thanks guys!**

_**Chapter 6: Getting a Guitar Part 2**_

Yuri and Flynn, both in their school uniforms, are now in the first floor of the shopping mall, sitting together on a bench in the foyer.

"They should be here soon. And they told me to wait for them here." Yuri said, checking his watch.

"Yuri!"

Both boys look up and see Estelle, Rita, Judith, also in their school uniforms, standing at the distance. Estelle smiles widely as she waves her hand at Yuri. The three girls then walk over to the boys while Yuri and Flynn stand up from the bench.

"Good to see you Yuri!" Estelle said, smiling at Yuri. Yuri smiles back and nods his head.

"Who is he?" Judith asked Yuri, gesturing to Flynn.

"Hi, I'm Flynn Scifo." Flynn said, introducing himself to the girls. "I'm a member of the school committee and Yuri's best friend."

"Hi! I'm Estelle!" Estelle greeted and shook hands with Flynn.

"Hey there. I'm Rita Mordio." Rita said with a lopsided grin while waving her hand.

"And I'm Judith." Judith said, bowing to Flynn.

"Nice to meet all of you." Flynn said smiling.

"I didn't know Yuri has a best friend." Rita said, folding her arms. "I thought he was a loner."

"Pot calls the kettle black." Yuri said as he smirks and stuffs his hands into his pockets.

"So what are you waiting for?" Judith said, placing her hands behind her back. "Let's go shopping!"

"The music store should be at the lower floor. Let's go!" Estelle said.

* * *

When the five arrived at the music store, they all widen their eyes in awe as the shop is full of guitars hanging on the walls and drum sets and sound amplifiers placed on the floor.

"Looks like we will be here all day huh Yuri?" Flynn said, turning to Yuri.

"I guess so." Yuri sighed.

"Come on Yuri, it will be fun. Being a bassist myself, I can take this opportunity to teach you on how to find that perfect guitar!" Judith said to Yuri smiling.

"There are guidelines in choosing a guitar?" Yuri asked Judith.

"Of course." Judith nods her head. "You have to pick one with a good timbre. You must also pay attention to the size and the neck's thickness. So for you, maybe-"

"Yuri! How about this one?" Estelle yelled. Everyone turn their heads and see her standing at the left corner of the store, waving her hand and pointing at a guitar placed at the bottom.

"Ugh…" Rita rolls her eyes. "She is so oblivious."

The four walk over to Estelle and everyone stare at the guitar she is pointing. Yuri kneels down and sees that the guitar is a black guitar with silver brushing. It has a silver whammy bar, a dark grey neck and a lighter grey triangular head stock. The pickups and bridge are in dark grey and the outline is lighter grey.

"Looks cool, doesn't it?" Estelle asked Yuri smiling.

"Black. How original." Rita deadpanned.

"What's wrong with that Rita? Black is an elegant color." Flynn said to Rita.

Yuri looks up at the price tag and says it costs 475 dollars. "Look Yuri! The price isn't over 500!" Judith said smiling.

"That's great, isn't it?" Estelle added.

"Yuri, do you really want it?" Flynn asked Yuri. Yuri continues staring and examining the guitar for a few more seconds before he turns his head to the others and smirked.

"I'll take it." He said.

* * *

The five walk out of the music store, with Yuri carrying his new guitar with a guitar bag strapped onto his back.

"Congrats in owning your first guitar Yuri!" Flynn said to his friend.

"Yeah!" Rita smiled while Judith claps her hands.

"Alright!" Estelle added.

"Right." Yuri nods his head and closes his eyes. "Now that I've bought a guitar for my own, I'll be on my way now. See you guys tomorrow!"

Yuri then walks off. But then, he stops and realizes that the others are awfully quiet. He opens his eyes and turns back to the others who are all still standing where they are.

"Ummm, guys?" Yuri asked puzzled.

"That's it? Just purchase a guitar and that's it? Really?" Estelle said with a frown.

"What else can I do here?" Yuri shrugged and cocked an eyebrow.

"What else can you do here? This is a mall!" Estelle then runs over to Yuri, grabs him by the arm and drags him through the mall. "We can do so many things here besides shopping! So wipe off that frown on your face and come along with me! It'll be fun!"

As Estelle drags Yuri along with her, Yuri turns to Flynn, Rita and Judith and groans. Flynn, Judith and Rita laugh and shake their heads before the three follow the two from behind.

* * *

Throughout the rest of the day, Estelle, Rita and Judith take Yuri around the mall with Flynn coming along with them.

They took Yuri to a clothes store where they show him a bunch of clothes that attract their attention. Judith sees a short sleeveless dress and holds it in front of Rita, who blushes. Estelle, Yuri and Flynn chuckle in amusement.

Next, they go to the arcade where they play a game called 'Whack-a-Fenrir'. Yuri, Flynn and Judith watch as Estelle and Rita play with the latter having the higher score and winning. When the game is over, Estelle droops her shoulders and sighs in defeat while Rita places her hands on her hips and laughed triumphantly. Yuri, Flynn and Judith cheer and clap their hands.

Then, they go to movie store where they watch a TV showing a scene from 'Pacific Rim'. Yuri, Flynn, Estelle and Judith all gasp as they watch the action scene between a Jaeger and a Kaiju while Rita stands behind them and yawns.

* * *

Finally, they decided to end their day by having dinner at a Japanese restaurant. The five sit together at a table and have a conversation as they wait for their dinner.

"…And there was a big explosion and she said to me; 'Well if you are so good, how come I still had a lower class position than you last year.'" Rita said to the others. Everyone then burst out in laughter.

Then, the waiter arrived with their dinner. "Here you go. Five bowls of ramen noodles." The waiter said.

Flynn, Estelle, Rita and Judith gasp as they all recognize the voice. They and Yuri turn to the waiter and widen their eyes in surprise.

"President?" Flynn said.

The waiter was none other than Darren, dressed in white Japanese robes and black pants.

"Guys?" Darren said, looking surprised as well.

"So this is your part-time job outside the Student Council?" Estelle asked.

"Yeah." Darren nods his head. "Please…don't post this on Facebook."

Estelle salutes and said, "Yes sir. We promise." Yuri, Flynn, Judith and Rita nod their heads. Darren then places their bowls of Ramen noodles in front of them.

"Thank you, President." Judith said, smiling at Darren.

"Sure thing." Darren smiles back at Judith, blushing. "Enjoy." He bows before them and leaves.

Everfybody then grab their chopsticks and Flynn notices a smile on Yuri's face.

"Yuri, you're smiling." Flynn said.

"Huh?" Yuri turns to his friend. "Yeah, I guess so." He chuckled.

"See? I told you going around the mall will wipe that frown away." Estelle smiled.

"I guess it's also mainly because I hadn't traveled around with more than one friend in a long time." Yuri said.

"Hm? What happened before?" Rita asked, looking concerned.

Yuri sighs. "I…don't want to talk about it." He looks up and smiles again. "Let's eat!"

"And may this dinner be a toast for us to work hard in the music club starting tomorrow!" Estelle said, pumping her fist into the air.

Everyone else laugh and nod their heads before they eat their noodles. They will enjoy themselves for now but starting tomorrow, it's time for them to practice hard.

**END OF CHAPTER**


	7. Working Hard

**Sovereign: I would like to thank Tracy247, AquaBluey and zmon for reviewing this story. Thanks guys!**

**Oh and PS, I've recently graduated! :D**

_**Chapter 7: Working Hard**_

Throughout the following week, Yuri, Estelle, Rita and Judith would meet every day after school practicing together. Judith is spending lots of time teaching Yuri on how to play a guitar. Although Yuri hasn't mastered the basics, he seems to be a fast learner.

Judith and Yuri sat together on the couch and the girl watches as Yuri plays a music piece with his guitar but then screws it up when it suddenly goes out of tune. Yuri sighs as he lowers his guitar.

"It's okay Yuri. Relax. You'll get the hang of it. And remember, your fingers must be relaxed on the guitar. Don't grip the fingerboard too hard but not too soft either." Judith said to Yuri calmly.

Yuri swifts his eyes to Judith and asked, "Judith? Why do you want to join the music club anyway? Didn't you want to join the computer club?"

"Yes. I do think of joining the computer club…but I change my mind and decide to play music instead. That is because I find Estelle and Rita to be such fun people." Judith smiled.

"All because of that?"

Judith nods her head. "I will not lie. I do feel kinda scared for not joining the computer club because I joined a club which is based on something I just do only on my spare time…but now, after two weeks of being here, I feel like I've now made the right decision."

"I see." Yuri said.

"Sometimes in life, you may think you made the wrong decision, but always believe that whatever decision you make in life, something good will always come out of it." Judith said.

Meanwhile, Estelle and Rita enter the music room after returning from their meeting with the school committee has ended.

"Hey guys!" Estelle said.

Judith and Yuri turn their heads to the two. "Any news?" Yuri asked.

Estelle and Rita nod their heads. "The committee and us have arranged a date for our debut performance. And it will be on December 1st." Rita said.

"That's two months away." Judith said.

"Correct! So until then, we have to practice hard for our debut concert!" Estelle said, smiling and clenching her fist.

"So what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Yuri said.

"Aye!" Estelle, Judith and Rita said in unison as they raise their fists into the air.

* * *

An hour has passed and Judith continues teaching Yuri how to strum the guitar while Rita practices playing the drums on her own. Meanwhile, Estelle is at the table, writing something.

Both Judith and Yuri then decided to take a break. They both gently put down their guitars and while Judith goes over to her school bag to grab her water bottle, Yuri goes over to Estelle and checks out what is she doing?

"Estelle? What are you doing?" Yuri asked.

Estelle gasped and quickly covers what she's writing with her arms. She turns her head to Yuri and smiles sheepishly. "Nothing!" She said.

"Really? Because you have been writing for the past hour with the occasional crumbling of papers and throwing them into the waste paper bucket." Yuri said, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "Aren't you supposed to practice how to sing since you are the vocalist?"

"Yeah." Rita said as she stops playing her drums and puts down her drumsticks. "I never see you practice or sing during our sessions."

"I usually practice at home." Estelle replied.

"I see. So can we at least see a solo performance from you?" Yuri said smiling.

"Sure." Estelle nods her head.

"Estelle is going to sing?" Judith said, coming over as she closes her water bottle. "That's great!"

* * *

Later, Yuri, Rita and Judith sat together on the couch while Estelle stood in front of them. She adjusts the microphone in front of her and taps it a few times. She turns back to the three.

"The song I'm going to sing is _'Euterpe'_ by Egoist. I hope you enjoy!" Estelle said before she bows her head.

"Knock our socks off, Estelle!" Judith cheered, clapping her hands.

"Give us your best!" Rita said, placing her hands on the back of her head.

Estelle closes her eyes, places her hands on the microphone and sings into it.

_**Saita no no hana yo**__**  
Aa douka oshiete okure**__**  
Hito wa naze kizutsukeatte**__**  
Arasou no deshou**_

_**Rin to saku hana yo**__**  
Soko kara nani ga mieru**__**  
Hito wa naze yurushiau koto**__**  
Dekinai no deshou**_

_**Ame ga sugite natsu wa**__**  
Ao wo utsushita**__**  
Hitotsu ni natte**__**  
Chiisaku yureta**__**  
Watashi no mae de**__**  
Nani mo iwazu ni**_

Estelle reopens her eyes and sees the dumbfounded looks on Yuri, Judith and Rita's faces. Estelle panicked. Did she screw up?

"Guys?" Estelle asked nervously. "Is my perform-"

Then, Yuri starts clapping his hands, followed by Rita and Judith. The three stood up and clap their hands together, applauding Estelle's performance.

"That was brilliant Estelle!" Rita said in surprise.

"Yeah, I'm surprised you actually have a beautiful voice." Judith said as their applauding dies down.

Estelle blushes as a wide smile appears on her face. "Thank you! All of you!" Estelle said.

"I guess you actually do practice your singing." Yuri said smiling.

"Of course I do. Since I am the one who formed this club, then I must be the one works the hardest." Estelle said. "And hopefully, we can continue this pace if we want to make our first school performance a success."

"I agree. Let's not let our school down." Yuri said. Judith and Rita nod their heads.

Estelle smiles happily. _'I'm glad to have people like them as my fellow club members.'_

* * *

After school hours are over, Judith and Rita grab their guitar and school bags, bid farewell to Yuri and Estelle and leave the room. Estelle then tells Yuri that she is going to the bathroom and asks him to look after the room while she's gone.

While Yuri is alone in the room, he gently placing his guitar into his guitar bag. He then zips it and carries it and his school bag. He then turns his head and sees the paper on the table. It was the same paper Estelle was busy writing earlier. Curiosity got the better of him. He decides to walk over and see what Estelle was writing.

He looks at it and discovers that it was a lyric sheet.

"Yuri! What are you doing?!"

Yuri turns around and sees Estelle at the doorway, looking shocked.

"Estelle!" Yuri said, shocked to see her. Estelle quickly goes over, grabs the paper and places it on her chest. Yuri started panicking, thinking he has made Estelle upset. "Estelle, I'm so sorry! I-"

"Yuri?" Estelle asked calmly.

"Huh?" Yuri said, calming down.

"I guess you now know huh?" Estelle chuckled. "I'm trying to write my own original songs. But right now, I don't want anyone to see because well…I don't know if they will be good enough."

There was a brief silence between the two before Yuri spoke up, "Well, I'm not good at this but…you just have to believe it's good."

"Hmm?" Estelle turns to Yuri with a puzzled look.

"If you want to be good a songwriter, you have to believe you are one. If you don't believe you're good, then you will never have utmost confidence in yourself. Am I right?" Yuri asked.

Estelle smiles at Yuri and nods her head. "Yes. That makes perfect sense. Thanks Yuri." She said.

"You're welcome. It's like you said, we have to work hard if we want our debut performance to be a success." He said, smiling back at Estelle.

* * *

By the time Yuri and Estelle walk out of the school, the sun has set. As Yuri walks off his separate way, Estelle waves her hand goodbye to Yuri. "Goodbye Yuri!" She said.

Yuri smirks and waves back. "Goodbye to you too! See you tomorrow!" He said.

Estelle lowers her hand as she watches Yuri turns around and continue walking his way home. She smiles as she thought to herself.

'_I don't know why and it's only been a few weeks but…I seem to already be creating a bond with him.'_

**END OF CHAPTER**


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